Trial by Fire...Or Ice in this case
Hello everyone!
Thought I would share my adventure with you all.
I am an ER nurse in Anchorage, AK. I decided to take a travel contract in New Mexico. I purchased a NOBO 16.6 to stay in to save money on housing. I hitched up the camper to my truck and immediately departed for the lower 48. I was fully prepared to be self sufficient through Canada as it was winter and with Covid, I knew services would be limited. I made it as far as Haines Junction the first day and found a rest area to stop for the night. At that point it was -15 deg F. I fired up the heater and got ready to settle in. I had the foresight to bring a 20 deg sleeping bag just in case. I awoke the next morning to a brisk 42 deg inside the camper. The NOBO is billed as a 4 season camper, but I assumed that -15 was a bit beyond their idea of cold weather camping. Fortunately my sleeping bag kept me comfortable and there was no loss of digits due to frostbite.
Now I have to say, traversing the Yukon and British Columbia through the Northern Rockies during the winter is not for the faint of heart. There were times that I would drive for hours and not see another vehicle. Guard rails in my opinion, were vastly under utilized, giving you the option of crashing into an icy lake to freeze to death, or plummeting a thousand feet to your death. To make matters worse, there was no cell reception for two days straight. To make matters worse, there were long stretches without any radio reception. I quickly discovered that the voices in my head are not that entertaining. I Would strongly recommend a Sat phone, and plenty of downloaded music for winter travel. Then there was the matter of the freight trucks. I couldn’t decide if these guys were suicidal or perhaps the most elite drivers of the world. These trucks were flying down these icy mountain roads doing 70mph with ease, while I felt like I would easily slide off the road at 45mph.
I safely made it through Canada in 3 days. Never have I been happier to be back on US soil. Throughout the 3 days in Canada I was severely disappointed in the heater. It never warmed the camper above 45 deg. It is not a big camper. It wasn’t until I reached Idaho that I made a discovery. While in the bathroom, I felt a cool breeze. I looked up and discovered that the fan vent was fully open. I had been losing all of my heat out of this open vent. I closed it shaking my head for not catching it earlier. That night I slept on top of the covers, getting up multiple times to turn down the heat.... Nothing wrong with the heater, just close the damn roof vent.
3654 miles later, I am set up at the campground and loving my NOBO.
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